Horseshoe Lake Paddle Photoset • chumley • 2017-04-02 • HikeArizona.COM

Horseshoe Lake Paddle, AZ

	2017-04-02
	13 by chumley

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Horseshoe Lake Paddle, AZ

Kayak		Apr 02 2017
		chumley

Kayak	17.01 Miles	466 AEG

Kayak	17.01 Miles	5 Hrs 53 Mns	2.89 mph

	466 ft AEG

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After seeing the crazy winter runoff release from the dam and recent reports from the Dude, Droog, and Eartheist, I figured I should get out and enjoy a day on the lake.

The release was 600 cfs today, with a lake level of 2021, just 5 feet below full. It looked like it had been about 3 feet higher based on the rocks and foliage I paddled past. I saw one kayak, one canoe, one rowboat, and a fishing boat with a motor over the course of my 6 hours on the lake.

I turned around on the north end before I needed to. A little recon on the map after and I think I could have made it about 1.5 miles farther before the flat lake water would have ended. I'd be curious to know if I could make it the additional 1.5 miles upstream on the Verde to Sheep Bridge. It looks like that distance only rises about 10 feet, so the river current might not be too tough to paddle up.

Perhaps I'll try that sometime on a more direct route. As it turned out, the 17 miles of paddling was a pretty long day. Winds picked up later in the day and made for just a little extra effort to move across the water.

Saw a couple of huge and very active bees nests on the chalk cliffs up north. Probably a dozen herons, a few ducks, countless black duck-like things with white heads, signs of an active beaver at the top of the lake, and the surprise of the day ... two ELK cows just east of the dam! Definitely my lowest elevation elk sightings. I was hoping to see the new kangaroos, but no luck there.

Culture

Stream Gauging Station

Named place

Chalk Mountain Horseshoe Dam Humboldt Mountain Lime Creek Sunset Mountain